- Born:
- Dec. 20, 1917, Wilkes-Barre, Penn., U.S.
- Died:
- Oct. 27, 1992, London, Eng. (aged 74)
- Subjects Of Study:
- quantum
David Bohm
-
Who was David Bohm?
David Bohm (1917-1992) was a British-American theoretical physicist who made significant contributions to quantum mechanics and plasma physics.
Born to Jewish immigrants in the U.S., Bohm studied science against his father’s wishes. He earned a Ph.D. from the University of California at Berkeley in 1943, where he collaborated with J. Robert Oppenheimer. Bohm's early research contributed to plasma theory. His textbook, Quantum Theory (1951), offered a clear explanation of Niels Bohr’s Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics.
Accused of left-wing politics, Bohm left the U.S. and taught in Brazil and Israel before settling in England in 1957. His work inspired the Aharonov-Bohm effect (1959) and John Bell's Bell inequality theorem (1964). Later, Bohm's publications became more philosophical, influenced by Hegelianism, theosophy, and Jiddu Krishnamurti.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What was David Bohm known for in physics?
David Bohm (1917–1992) was a British theoretical physicist known for his contributions to quantum mechanics and theoretical physics.
Bohm developed a causal, nonlocal interpretation of quantum mechanics and laid the foundations of modern plasma theory. Contrary to the widely accepted Copenhagen interpretation, Bohm believed a causal interpretation was possible, assuming unobserved hidden variables existed. His work inspired interest in hidden variables and led to discussions of nonlocality, nonseparability, and entanglement.
Bohm's theory stipulates that a physical particle is always located in a particular place. Wave functions push particles around or guide them along their courses. The laws that govern the evolutions of wave functions are deterministic.
2 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What is quantum theory, and how did Bohm contribute to it?
Quantum theory is a physics theory that studies radiant energy in quanta and applies to energy transfer at atomic and molecular levels. It brought a scientific revolution in the early 20th century, changing ideas about space, time, and energy and challenging the assumption of an objective physical world independent of human observation.
David Bohm, an American-born British theoretical physicist, contributed to quantum mechanics with his causal, nonlocal interpretation. Contrary to the widely accepted Copenhagen interpretation, Bohm believed a causal interpretation was possible with unobserved hidden variables. Although initially ignored, Bohm's hidden variables theory inspired later interest and discussion.
4 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What is the 'Bohmian interpretation' or pilot-wave theory in quantum mechanics?
The Bohmian interpretation, also known as pilot-wave theory, offers a unique perspective on quantum mechanics. Developed by David Bohm, it posits that quantum particles have definite positions and trajectories, unlike the standard Copenhagen interpretation.
Key aspects of Bohmian interpretation:
* Hidden Variables Bohm's theory suggests that "hidden variables" exist, which determine the specific outcomes of quantum measurements.
* Deterministic Laws The theory proposes that the evolution of wave functions is governed by deterministic laws, with wave functions acting as physical entities that guide particles.
* Non-locality Bohm's work has led to discussions about non-locality, non-separability, and entanglement in quantum theory.
* Rejection of randomness Unlike the Copenhagen interpretation, Bohm's approach dismisses the element of chance in the fundamental laws governing the universe.3 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
How did David Bohm's ideas challenge the traditional views of quantum physics?
David Bohm challenged traditional quantum physics with his causal, nonlocal interpretation of quantum mechanics, introducing the idea of hidden variables.
Bohm's theory posits that physical particles always exist in a particular place, guided by wave functions that are physical, not just mathematical. These wave functions deterministically influence particle movement, akin to force fields in classical mechanics.
This view contrasts with the Copenhagen interpretation, which suggests that properties like an electron's position or velocity only come into existence when measured. Bohm's interpretation suggests that uncertainty is due to our ignorance of certain details, not an inherent randomness in the universe.
4 Britannica SourcesCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles. -
What impact did Bohm's work have on science and philosophy?
David Bohm, an American-born British theoretical physicist, is renowned for his contributions to both science and philosophy. Initially ignored, his idea of hidden variables gained traction after his 1957 book, Causality and Chance in Modern Physics, the prediction of the Aharonov-Bohm effect in 1959, and especially after it led American physicist John Bell to discover the Bell inequality theorem (1964). Bohm's work shifted the discussion of quantum theory to nonlocality, nonseparability, and entanglement.
Bohm's later works became more philosophical, influenced by Marxism, Hegelianism, and theosophy through Jiddu Krishnamurti. His book, Wholeness and the Implicate Order (1980), explored the human condition and consciousness.
1 Britannica SourceCreated from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.
David Bohm (born Dec. 20, 1917, Wilkes-Barre, Penn., U.S.—died Oct. 27, 1992, London, Eng.) was an American-born British theoretical physicist who developed a causal, nonlocal interpretation of quantum mechanics.
Born to an immigrant Jewish family, Bohm defied his father’s wishes that he pursue some practical occupation, such as joining the family’s furniture business, in order to study science. After receiving a bachelor’s degree (1939) from Pennsylvania State College, Bohm continued graduate research at the California Institute of Technology and then the University of California at Berkeley (Ph.D., 1943), where he worked with physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer. In 1947 Bohm became an assistant professor at Princeton University.
In 1943 Bohm was denied security clearance to work at Los Alamos, N.M., on the atomic bomb. His research in Berkeley still proved marginally useful to the Manhattan Project and directed his attention to plasma physics. In postwar papers, Bohm laid the foundations of modern plasma theory. Bohm’s lectures at Princeton developed into an influential textbook, Quantum Theory (1951), that contained a clear presentation of Danish physicist Niels Bohr’s Copenhagen interpretation of quantum mechanics. While working on that book, Bohm came to believe that a causal (non-Copenhagen) interpretation was also possible, contrary to the view then almost universally held among physicists. Encouraged in this pursuit by conversations with Albert Einstein, he developed an interpretation on the assumption that there existed unobserved hidden variables.
By the time his theory was published in 1952, political problems had forced Bohm to emigrate. He had been involved in left-wing politics in Berkeley during World War II, including membership in various organizations that Federal Bureau of Investigations director J. Edgar Hoover labeled communist fronts, which in the postwar climate of McCarthyism (see Joseph McCarthy) made him be seen as a security threat. Bohm refused to testify about his or others’ political beliefs to the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1949, which resulted in his being charged with contempt of the U.S. Congress. Although Bohm was eventually acquitted of the charge, he was suspended from teaching duties and in 1951 lost his job at Princeton. With Einstein’s help, he found a position at the University of São Paulo in Brazil and in 1955 at the Technion in Haifa, Israel. After 1957 he worked in England, first at the University of Bristol and then, from 1961 until retirement in 1987, as a professor of theoretical physics at Birkbeck College, University of London.
Initially ignored, the idea of hidden variables inspired interest after the publication of Bohm’s Causality and Chance in Modern Physics (1957), the prediction of the Aharonov-Bohm effect (1959), and especially after it led American physicist John Bell to discover the Bell inequality theorem (1964; see quantum mechanics: Paradox of Einstein, Podolsky, and Rosen). Efforts to interpret quantum theory changed as a result of Bohm’s work, with discussion shifting to the issues of nonlocality, nonseparability, and entanglement.
Bohm’s later publications became increasingly philosophical; the influence of Marxism on him gave way first to Hegelianism and then theosophy through the teachings of the Indian mystic Jiddu Krishnamurti, with whom he wrote The Ending of Time (1985). Bohm’s most famous later book, Wholeness and the Implicate Order (1980), also dealt with the broader issues of the human condition and consciousness.